Jointed measuring instrument



Feb. 16, 1954 H, 1 DOERR JOINTED MEASURING INSTRUMENT Filed Oct. l5. 1950 Patented Feb. 16, 1954 eumrao ffsefmrfns oFF-ICE J ON'IEDiMEA'SURINGi INSTRUMENT Harold J. Doen-,ii L'ovell,"-Wyo.

Application 'Octbbe 13, 1950,'Sei-ialNo190Q033 lalGlaim. il

i'This 'invention frelateswto aniimproved 'conf' struction ofi jointed lmea'suringsi-n'strument ofthe ifolding #rule f. typev-which -is-L'especial-ly lu'sef-ul.: ;.in fsecuring:.insideiEand:spacediimeasurements'-lwith amrogressivei: distances particularly 1in@ connection rwith-Lthe 'ffmdular systemi. onlmea'surement-lnow tbeingiusedlinthebuildingiindustry.

The ffmodular .rsystern utilizes.Labasickdimensional unit; of. four inchesland'` endeavors. tof4 simtplify andfstandardize fsizes f ofi'varioushuilding omaterials :iin Zibuilding units such las doors and -windows ande-their frames.

iAccordinglyyit'ds aprimaryiob-ject: oi the presr enti-mention tor. )'providei-a measuringlf'instrument Which isfespecially. useful 1in. connection with vith-is fourn inch s dimensionaluniteof zmeasurement; in i,the-flaying'outofav work such-ascwindow; and;:door wopenings;l partitions andioor-plans; et: cetera.

Another-'objectief thexinvention isto'sprovide a tj ointed or folding measuring instrumentwhere# i-fbyeany-fonefofs lseveral-measuring flengthsnirn ac- :cordancewwith Zthe fimodular-isystemmicanlzabe readily. constructed.

A further :obj ect. fof-the finventioni-is to :prei/.ide

.. a fjointed measuring instrument having.. overlaps .between the jointed --sections fof; predetermined lengthswin :relationship to a four inch unit of measure adapting said overlaps for use in measuring fractions-'ora' modular unit.

Still a furtherobject. ofthe..invention is to provide a measuringv instrument wherebygraduati'onsior centers can be' easily transferredlfrom ithe instrument to the workl withexactness which Iwill virtually eliminate parallax error.

Iinventionwill hereinafter becomeV morefilly' apvparent fromthe following "description of the drawing?'illustrating-1 a vrpresently;y preferred 'i emf=bodiment thereofrand-Wherein: y

'iFigu-rell! is a- -perspective view vof themeasurling instrument-showingfone' section ofthetslide thereof in an aextendedf'position;

Figure 2 is a plan view showing the instrumentiin awfully extended position foraaccomplishing an inside measurement;

"Figure" 3'is'a' similar vview showing the Vinstrument^being" employed 'formeasuring and' laying out studs, rfters;ljoi'sts :orf-biildinghlocks;

Figure,A 4. shows the instrument tbeing employed f o1' Y correctly laying.. out ory spacing a: plurality; of f "studs simultaneously, and

Figures and 6 are enlarged cross sectional views taken substantially along planes as indicated by the lines 5 5 and 6 6, respectively, of Figure 2.

Referring fmo-refspeciflc'ally to vthe drawing, the jointed 1 measuring s instrument constituting I the invention and as illustrated in the drawing 4is idesi'gnated# generally IB and Aisy shown as heing #5 composed of 4nine'rule sections providing arule havinga=basie length of sixfeet' or eighteen fourinch units of' whichfeach rule comprises two of saidunits. A-llxcept for the' first ortop rulesecritionf Il vwhich 4isof 'an'over-all length of-eight 11 a' o `Vinches,"fthe remaining rule sections vwhich are all identical except-asto theindicia inscribed therelion; are each'ten'inches'inlength and each of said 'last mentioned rule-'sections I2l include an eight inch y'measuring portion and a two inch overlap iiapor'tion. gThe top section II and the'rule section 'I 2`1disposed directly therebeneath' or next there- -t0-are joined bya rivet'or similar fastening I3 'one'inch from adjacent ends of saidrule sections andA the `-next rule' section' I2v is similarly joined -ffzo'toithe opposite-end'fof-the aforementioned rule -:section I2 @bye-a' similar vfastening I3 with the re- `r maining' frule sections 'i I 2' Abeingsimilarly Vjoined 'eaehl withv twoother rulesections I2 4with the exceptionof'f'thehottom or lastrule section I2 lwhi'ch,like therulevv section` Il isr joined only at one end.'

l''Iherule section I I is inscribedonits upper side anda/long one-or bothof its side edges with linear 4Lgraduations'I4 in inches'and fractionsoflinches si: a. and the' 'inch graduations' are `numbered oomfmencing? from the left`=handend ofthe `rule sec- 'l tionE I l numerically commencing-'withl 1. The :'upperesurfacesof theirule sections I2 are simila'rly inscribed "with linear graduations I 4 Y and *with the 'inch' graduations' thereof f progressively fnur'nbered as Aseen at I5 from the' highest number of thepreoedingrule section; however, the graduationsoi 'of' ea'chrof'y the'r'ule.' sections I2 comf men'ces'two inches -f-romits'left'ehand end as viewed 40 -cinFigu-res 1 and'2 sothat the portions of each rule fsectionfl2 whichfis overlappe'dby a'portion of the rule section i I- "or-v I 2; located directlyith'ereahove IVis'fn'otfgraduated andy'conse'quentlm only eight inches off the total over-all length" of ten inches of each rulelsection- I2 vcontains 'the graduations I4 adnumerals 15. E'Eachfourth*numeral is en- Iklai-ged orotherwisedistin'ctively' designated as a r"cardinalnumeral asindicated-at I6 so that 'the 'distance-of four incheshetweenthe cardinal nu- 150 y'morals' Iilconstitutes one. dimension-al unit of the '-modular 'system of' measurement. .Lkewise, .the two inch overlap of each rule section'lzconstitutes exatlyone-half of a modular unit measurement. Each of the rule sections has nat ends forming square corners from the side edges of said rule sections, as best illustrated in Figure 1, for a purpose which will hereinafter become apparent.

An extensible measuring slide is mounted on and supported by the top rule section II and comprises -a bar II which is preferably ten inches in length and the upper surface of which is inscribed with linear graduations I8 in inches and fractions with the inch graduations numbered from left to right, as indicated at I9 and commencing with the numeral 1 spaced one inch from the left-hand end of the graduated portion I8. The graduations I8 commence one inch from each end of the bar Il and said bar is provided with a slot 20 extending throughout the length of its graduated portion I8 for slid is anchored to the section II, :as best seen in Figure at its 1 inch graduation and which fastening includes a head 22 which overlies the bar I1 and has aligned tapered ends forming indexing markers, as best illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

The rule sections II and I2 each having an inscribed measuring area I4 eight inches in length are equal to two dimensional units of the modular system of four inches each and may be conveniently` employed for numerous measurements required in lay out work in the building industry, for example, such as the laying out the distances between studs, rafters, joists and building blocks having conventional sixteen inch centers equalling two of the rule sections. Such application and use of the instrument III is illus- 'trated in Figure 3 and is accomplished by extending only the rule section II and positioning the slide bar I1 in a fully retracted position, The rule section II and the adjacent rule section I2 are then placed against a beam or other supporting structure and by employing a scribing instrument S a beam 23 can be marked at sixteen inch intervals by utilizing the remote ends of said rule sections II :and I2 as guides for the point of the scriber. Thus, the distances between studs, joists and rafters may be accurately laid out for accurately and correctly positioning said parts as indicated at 24 in Figure 3. Similarly, by employing four of the rule sections as illustrated in Figure 4 the instrument l0 may be efficiently utilized for laying out and marking simultaneously the spaces for three studs and as the over-all length, thirty-two inches or two feet eight inches constituting four of the rule sections is also standard measurement for the width of a door, the rule or instrument I0 as shown partially extended in Figure 4 may be similarly used for laying out door openings.

Six of the rule sections equalling forty-eight inches or four feet constitutes the exact width of many building materials such as plywood, sheet rock and Masonite and likewise the centers for four studs or rafters. The rule may be similarly employed up to its full length of six feet and with intermediate measurements obtained by extending the extension bar I 'I.

As previously mentioned, :a tWo inch measurement equal to one-half of a dimensional unit of four inches may be readily obtained and inscribed on a surface utilizing one end of the overlapped portion of one rule section and the adjacent end of the other rule section which is :pivoted thereto and said ends of the rule surfaces will obviously function as straight edges 4 for guiding the point of 'the scriber S. Likewise, a measurement of one-half a foot may be readily obtained by utilizing the left-hand end of the section II and the adjacent end of the adjacent rule section I2 or at any point intermediate of the ends of the extended rule by utilizing the ends of the rule sections defining the ladjacent ends of adjacent overlaps of the jointed rule or instrument.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined Iby the appended claims.

I 4claim -as my `invention:

A jointed measuring instrument comprising a plurality of rule sections pivotally connected in overlapped relationship and arranged for swinging movement in parallel Iplanes for folding or extending the sections, each of said sections having a top surface inscribed with linear graduations and indicia designating the inch graduations, the indicia bearing portions of each rule section being of a length of eight inches and the indicia inscribed on each section constituting a progressive continuation of the indicia of the next preceding section, said rule sections having cardinal indicia at four inch intervals representing a dimensional unit of measure of the modular measurement system, said rule sections having a two inch overlap at their jointed ends when in extended positions constituting onehalf of a vdimensional unit of measure of four inches, said rule sections being 10 inches in length, a single eight inch rule section constituting the initial section of the rule or instrument, and an extension bar slidably connected to said eight inch rule section having linear graduations on its upper surface extending to within one inch of each end of the bar and being provided with a slot disposed co-extensvely with its graduated area, said eight inch rule section having a fastening spaced one inch from its free end slidably engaging the slot of said bar having a head overlying the bar constituting an in- 'dexing pointer for the graduations of the bar.

HAROLD J. DOERR.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 738,422 Duffy Sept. 8, 1903 778,659 Guth 'Dec. 27, 1904 893,035 Turner July 14, 1908 909,819 Prentice Jan. 12, 1909 978,446 Gasstrom Dec. 13, 1910 1,379,909 Englund May 24, 1921 1,488,482 Eckrnan Apr. 1, 1924 1,670,025 Denman May 15, 1928 2,419,597 Rushmore Apr. 29, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS I L Number Country Date 29,297 Germany July 25, 1907 248,483 Italy Apr. 7, 1926 191,609 Switzerland Sept. 1, 1937 OTHER REFERENCES Publications: American Builder, Sept. 1944,

pages 84, 85, and Engineering New Record, lOctober 18, 1945. 

